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Milk donations help save the lives of infants in need

Hays, Kansas (Aug 24)—  HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System in collaboration with the Ellis County Breastfeeding Coalition,  has established a Mothers’ Milk Bank (MMB)depository and is now accepting the donation of breast milk for MMB, a Colorado based nonprofit program of Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation who collects, processes and provides human donor milk. The program is being made possible through donations from the HaysMed Foundation.

Human milk is the key to a healthy future, providing newborns and babies with essential immune properties, growth factors, hormones and enzymes that they cannot get from formula. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, infants should be fed human milk exclusively for the first six months of life. If mother’s own milk is unavailable, donated milk from a human milk bank approved by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, which MMB is a member, is the next best choice.

On Wednesday, August 30 the OB/Lactation Department and the Ellis County Breastfeeding Coalition will have a display in the Miller Pavilion with information on the Mothers’ Milk Bank.  From 11:00 am – 1:00 pm members of the OB Department and coalition will be on hand to answer specific questions.

HaysMed will be following MMB’s strict guidelines to ensure that milk donations are delivered safely to MMB’s Denver facility where it is pasteurized and distributed to babies across the country whose mothers cannot supply sufficient milk for their needs.

Since 2011, MMB has provided more human milk donations to hospitals than any other milk bank in the country producing an average of 12,000 ounces of human milk every week. Babies who receive milk donated by mothers in Ellis County and across the nation may be premature or have severe illnesses and need human milk to thrive.

MMB consistently provides more milk to newborn intensive care units than any other nonprofit milk bank in North America and adheres to the strict guidelines of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.

HaysMed is one of three sites in Kansas that participate in the program.

To become a breast milk donor, mothers must undergo a blood test and health screening, be willing to donate a minimum of 150 ounces total, and have a medical release form signed by a medical provider.

For a full list of donor qualifications, please call 1-303-869-1888 or visit the Mothers Milk Bank website.  Women interested in donating milk may fill out the donor screening form on MMB’s website at www.milkbankcolorado.org or call 303.869.1888.

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About Mothers’ Milk Bank

A nonprofit program of Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation, Mothers’ Milk Bank (MMB) collects, processes and provides human donor milk to babies across the country. Babies who receive the milk may be premature or have severe illnesses and need human milk to thrive. MMB consistently provides more milk to NICUs than any other nonprofit milk bank in North America and adheres to the strict guidelines of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA). For more information on MMB visit www.milkbankcolorado.org.